By Staff Reporter
TZANEEN – Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Tzaneen marched to Letaba Hospital on Tuesday, 2 December 2025 at 11:00 to highlight what they describe as “unacceptable conditions” at the facility that require urgent attention.
Theresa Mathye, Secretary of the Tzaneen subregion of the EFF, led the group in handing over a memorandum to hospital management, giving them seven days to respond.
Speaking to Tzaneen Voice, Mathye said the party was deeply concerned about hygiene at the hospital.
“The hygiene standards are very low. Patients in your hospital are forced to sleep and dine alongside cats, which can carry contagious diseases,” she said.
“Hygiene cannot be separated from patient care. We demand a clean hospital, the same way you expect when you are treated elsewhere.”
Mathye also highlighted deteriorating infrastructure and malfunctioning equipment.
“The ICU door is damaged, and critical life-saving machinery may not be in proper working condition. The maternity door also needs urgent repair. Where is the dignity of a patient giving birth in public?” she asked.
Staff shortages were another major concern. “Nurses are overworked and fatigued, which compromises patient care. The lack of cleaners and gardeners must be addressed immediately, and the use of EPWP workers must stop.
Permanent staff must be hired,” Mathye said.
She also criticized the hospital’s system for issuing patient files, noting that elderly patients are forced to wait all day for check-ups.
“Our grandmothers and grandfathers wake up in the morning to return in the afternoon. What have they eaten throughout the day? This is abuse,” she said.
“The EFF will not watch idly while our people suffer under the mediocrity of the ruling party,” Mathye added. “One of our cardinal pillars is to provide free and quality health care. We demand that the hospital management provide feedback within seven working days on how these issues will be addressed.”
Hospital CEO Mme Victoria Ragolane accepted the memorandum and promised to go through it carefully and take the necessary action to address the issues raised by the EFF.
